Students Protest Plan to Produce Classic Sartre Play ‘No Exit’ Because it Makes Them Feel Unsafe
“petition argues the script is problematic because it gender stereotypes women and lesbians and puts a man in a quasi-leadership role”
If I ran this school, I would expel the students protesting this production and tell them to go home. They’re clearly not ready for college.
The College Fix reports:
Students protest plan to stage Sartre’s classic ‘No Exit’ play: ‘it doesn’t allow us to feel safe’
A petition has been launched against Western Washington University Department of Theatre’s decision to showcase the existentialist play “No Exit” this fall.
The petition argues the script is problematic because it gender stereotypes women and lesbians and puts a man in a quasi-leadership role, which perpetuates patriarchy.
“When choosing a play for the upcoming season, there seemed to be a blind spot: gender and sexuality were not considered,” the petition states. “We understand that this is a piece that is meant to challenge us as a department, but this play is not challenging if it doesn’t allow us to feel safe.”
The petition also argues the play is inappropriate at this time because it is set in one room in which the characters cannot escape, thus may be too “mentally taxing for the community to watch. Especially if we are still in quarantine at that time.”
“This play is not challenging, but instead is reinforcing classical notions of womanhood designed by the patriarchy,” the petition states, adding “it is disturbing and unacceptable.”
“No Exit” is a play by French philosopher and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. Penned in 1944, it’s about three people trapped in a room, and as they spend more time in it they come to realize that being trapped in eternity with the same three people is hell as opposed to fire and brimstone.
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If it’s bad to have a man in a quasi-leadership role, then these people should come out against Joe Biden.
We’ll leave discussion of Kamala’s role as an exercise for the students.
That’s nice, you friggin’ pussies.
Here’s the best part: these stupid little snowflakes don’t even know Jean-Paul Sartre was a hard boiled Marxist.
Snowflakes, the new Leftist type, may appear to be soft and delicate but their actions have had sharp, rigid consequences. It is going to take a disciplined, long looking approach to defeat this entrenched ideology
“Washington University Department of Theatre’s decision to showcase the existentialist play “No Exit” this fall.”
So is this a project in which everybody in the department is expected to make a contribution for a grade, or a production put on by the department, showcasing the students that “aced the auditions,” to entertain the college or public at large?
If the latter, absolutely no further attention need be paid to the crybullies.
Huis Clos – No Exit – is a deeply troubling play for sure. I hate it. I had to read it in French (accounting, no doubt, for at least 30% of my dislike).
I am a Christian – I believe in a loving God and I actually kind of agree with Sartre’s idea that we create our own hell – as in, our actions will determine our eternal location.
Yes, it is a troubling play, but that is the beauty of it – reading literature outside your comfort zone will help you grow. As I said, I hate No Exit. And yet, there is a quote from it that is in my little book of my favorite 50 quotes. So, there is good in it; there is a gem of wisdom in the crap that came from Sartre.
The gender and cast of No Exit could be changed, as long as they kept the same essence with the character the gender doesn’t matter much. The lesbian could be anything in the lgbtq spectrum truthfully. Doesn’t much matter. That really isn’t the point though. It’s pretty clear the students don’t understand the play, they are only concerned with surface appearances. In a way, they ‘are’ Estelle. Only concerned with surface appearances. Their only apparent motivation the praise they crave through their ‘woke’ actions.
I am not deeply fond of Satre, but he does express and explain Existentialism well in the play. It’s the kind of brain tugging ‘starter’ that often opens up a person to studying philosophies in general. It’s a good choice for a university production.
well stated. I had forgotten that about Estelle.